A MANAGER of a travel agents complained to police when a window cleaner made a racist remark.

Sharon Burrows, who is a British-born woman of Chinese descent, was working as manager of Tarporley Travel in the High Street, when she suffered the regular window cleaner's outburst.

Northwich magistrates this week heard how Michael Moody, 61, became offensive after she asked him to clean the window sills.

Mrs Burrows, told The Chronicle: 'He basically told me to get back to where I came from.'

Explaining the background to February's incident, Mrs Burrows said: 'He cleans the windows. He does quite a few in the High Street. I asked him to clean the window sills on the outside. I asked if he could wipe them down.

'He said 'I always do'. As I walked into the shop he told me to 'F*** off'. When I had all this out with him he told me to get back to where I came from.

'He said there are enough of you in Singapore. I'm not even from Singapore!'

'He's called Mr Moody and I think he lives up to his name.'

Mrs Burrows, who lives in Nantwich, added: 'He didn't get away with it. He's got a criminal record now. But he's still cleaning windows in Tarporley and passing by.'

'Nobody would really give me abuse like that, it's especially strange because he was working for us.'

Moody of Ways Green, Winsford, who had pleaded not guilty, was convicted of using threatening, abusive or insulting words or behaviour to cause another harassment, alarm or distress which was racially aggravated. He was fined £100 and ordered to pay £100 costs.

Mrs Burrows said the incident had left her feeling sickened.

'I don't want sympathy. I want people to know what sort of person he is,' she said.

'I was upset. I have had it all my life. I'm 31. People say the odd thing - usually it's kids. It's never face-to-face from an adult. I would maybe expect it if it was a group of lads. You don't expect it when you are working.'

Mrs Burrows, who is married to IT specialist Mark, added: 'My husband is English. We went to Hong Kong and he felt very intimidated because he was in a minority and had never felt like that before. He said it was really strange and he appreciated what it was like.'

Mrs Burrows said most people were not racist but occasionally someone would make an ill-informed remark.

'People come into the office and say 'you speak good English'. I was born here. It's laughable for people to say that sort of thing.'

Moody told The Chronicle in his defence: 'She was getting on my nerves a bit. I swore at her. She kept coming out and telling me how to do the job.'

The window-cleaner admitted he said 'get back to where you come from' but added.

'I meant it in a different way. I meant her to get back to where she last worked.

'She added things in and made it something racial.'

Moody, who confirmed he was still working the Tarporley patch, added: 'I have worked with different races in the forces and I am not in any way racist.'